Manta Mae Liveaboard Review - Komodo

[kingsnwings]

Liveaboard Manta Mae

Location North / Central Komodo. Wind shut down the South

Date July 1 - 6, 2019 (5 nights, 6 days, up to 18 dives possible + Komodo hike)


The Manta Mae was our first liveaboard, so keep in mind I have no reference to compare to. I would say the boat was 4/5 and the crew was 5/5. Bottom line, the diving was phenomenal and the DM's and crew made the entire experience safe, comfortable, and enjoyable. Give the Manta Mae a look if you are in Indonesia.

The Boat: 4/5 Typically the boat carries passengers in 3 cabins below deck. A family brought their kids, who rented out a small 4th cabin. Total 7 guests, 5 diving. The boat was spacious and did not feel crowded. Overall the boat was very comfortable; cabin AC kept you at your desired temperature at night; showers and toilet worked; lots of places to lounge on deck. Certain things could be upgraded and fixed up; there are no luxuries like hot tubs and spas so the boat is definitely a 4 or below, I liked it a lot so in my mind a 4/5.

Diving: 5/5; excellent crew

• Diving was done from 2 tenders. Easy access to the tenders from a staircase/platform. Boat rides to dive sites were comfortable.
• Dive briefings were informative and well drawn and planned.
• Safety-first diving, max 4 guests per guide.
• Negative entries were practiced on the 2nd day.
• DM were excellent at spotting life, Tigor could spot nudibranchs the size of a nose hair or ghost pipe fish in some rubbish from 3+ meters away; ridiculous.
• 2 dives on 1st day, 4 dives/day after, we did 3 dives on the final day because no fly time
• last day was Rinca hike to see komodo dragons
• schedule & dive sites are flexible according to conditions and guests desires
• dry towels after every dive

The crew was top notch and worked like a well oiled machine. All gear was loaded onto the tender, and promptly offloaded to your station. All you have to do is get on and off the boat. There were never any issues with gear or issues with low pressure tanks that you may see at less than optimal operations. There was never any issues or scares.

Personal favorite sites: Crystal Rock, Castle Rock, Batu Bolong
Unfortunately we were told we could not hit South Komodo due to strong winds

The Food: The chef did a great job preparing a variety of foods at every meal (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner). Everything was tasty, there was never a shortage of food. Hot drinks and towels handed to you after night diving as soon as you stepped foot on deck was nice.

Trip of a life time (so far) for us. I personally will look into booking the Manta Mae if I ever make it out to Raja Ampat, no regrets.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Loved the video and report. Someday I will get there..... Thanks for sharing.

 

[Pearlman]

Hmm ... good shot of an Emporer Angelfish at 1:50.

Thanks for sharing!
P

 

[Tippytoes12]

Excellent video and report , thanks so much for sharing.

Best fishes x

 

[Fibonacci]

Great stuff... thanks!

 

[drrich2]

How long & grueling where the flights to & from it? Long layovers? Did you overnight anywhere, or arrive a day or two early & stay somewhere you liked?

Glad you had a good time; hope to be blessed to do likewise someday!

Richard.

 

[kingsnwings]

How long & grueling where the flights to & from it? Long layovers? Did you overnight anywhere, or arrive a day or two early & stay somewhere you liked?

Glad you had a good time; hope to be blessed to do likewise someday!

Richard.

13 hours LAX -> Taiwan, Advil PM helped us sleep a good portion of the flight. 4 hours in Taiwan wasn't bad. Then final 5-6 hours to Bali. Long... but not horrible because we were able to sleep.

Stayed in Bali for 6 nights. The Mt Agung eruption closed the airport, which only opened the day before our flight to Komodo. So we were sweating bullets up until the airport re-opened. The Bali - Labuan Bajo flight is very quick and easy, arrived 1 night before the ship sailed. No problem with luggage on Garuda.

Split the flights back home over 2 days; 1 to Bali and 24 hours later to Taiwan/LAX. Brutal because the time change, but so worth it.

 

[AlMitch]

Thanks for the trip report!
Great video.
I was hoping you would include a few minutes of the boat itself.

How old were the kids that were on-board with you?
Did the parents dive one at a time, or did they dive together and leave the kids with the boat crew?
Did it negatively affect your trip in any way?

Sorry for all the kid related questions. We have two smaller kids so no chance we would take them on a LOB...yet...but in a few years it is definitely something I would consider.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm curious about the food served. Was any of it Western? All Indo? A mix?

If they did serve Western, was the western food tasty?

 

[kingsnwings]

Thanks for the trip report!
Great video.
I was hoping you would include a few minutes of the boat itself.

How old were the kids that were on-board with you?
Did the parents dive one at a time, or did they dive together and leave the kids with the boat crew?
Did it negatively affect your trip in any way?

Sorry for all the kid related questions. We have two smaller kids so no chance we would take them on a LOB...yet...but in a few years it is definitely something I would consider.

Their kids were around 12 and 17.
Some dives the parents would dive, and the crew would take the two boys out on the 2nd tender to snorkel. Of course there are dive sites that snorkeling is not allowed.
Some dives one parent went snorkeling with the boys.

No negative impact on the trip. They seemed to have a good time.

There was a jetski on the boat, but you couldn't use it in the National Park. To water ski, they were missing one so that was also not happening, which was a bummer for the family trying to find activities for the boys.

Good luck taking your family on an unforgettable vacation soon!